Central-buffer claw-coupling.



L. SGHEIB, Sn. &. L. SGHEIB, JR.

' v GENTRAL BUFFER. CLAW COUPLING.

APPLICATION I'ILHD NOV. 14, 1907.

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

UNITED STATES P TENT; OFFICE- LUDWIG SGHEIB, sn, AND LUDWIGSOHEIB, 1a., 0F KAISERSLAUTERN, GERMANY.

- CENTRAL-BUFFER CLAW-COUPLING.

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LUDWIG SOHEIB, Sr., and LUDWIG SCHEIB, --Jr., subjects of His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, residing at Kaiserslautern, Germany, engineers, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Central-Buffer Claw-Couplings; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. i

This invention relates to improvements in central buffer claw couplings such as are described in our application for U. S. atent filed the 27 September 1907 Seria No. 394850 and has for its ob'ect to rovide means whereby when the ciaw hoo .coupling of one wagon is released by hand the coacting claw hook of the other wagon is automatically released on the separation of the wagons, all risk of damage to thecouplings by the impact of the wagons is thus avoided.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a horizontal section of the locked coupling; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same; Fig. 3 is a similar section to Fig. 1

I but showing the parts unlocked and opened,

and Figs. 4 and 5 are details.

Similar letters'refer to like parts in all the figures, and those parts which also a pear in the drawings to our said earlier U. application bear the same reference letters as they do in those drawings.

Referri'ngto the drawing a designates a hollowcoupling headfand b a locking cap pivoted on a in c which is movable in a slot m formed in t e head a. The locking'cap is pivotally connected to a guide rod 9 encircled by a helical spring h. Suitably pivoted to the coupling head a is a claw hook E hav-' ing a tail iece e which is gaged by t e locking cap I).

The coupling is locked in a similar manner to that described in our said earlier ap lica-. tio'n the spring controlled locking ca 8 oting on the releasing pin 0 is cause ..to engage the tail piece e of the claw hook and thereby firmly looks the latter. The coupadapted to be en.-

ling is hand released by means of a lever having "a cam surface (1 adapted to engage and move back the releasing pin 0 of the locking cap I) and thereby withdraw the inner end "of the latter from the tail end e of the claw hook, when the springh forces forwards the free end vice a, t

of said cap I) which in-turn forces the claw hook E into its open oroutwar'd position as seen in Fig. 3.

Inorder toeflect the rearward movement and disengagement of the locking'ca 6 automatically and inde endently of the hand uncoupling device when the coupling is in its closed or locked position, we provide within the hollow couphn'g head a an automatic release mec'hanism. comprising two two-armed 'leversff and ll, see Figs. 4 and 5.

The lever ff" turns on a ivot in 1' and is so arranged as to permit t e ta' e of the claw hook to move freely within a slot f in its arm f,see Figs. 2 and 3. The short arm f of this lever is connected with a push rod i.

Working in a guided and controlled by a spring t which constantly presses the lever arm f forwardsand outwards. The arm f of lever ff engages the short arm lof leverl l whose'other arm 1. e gages the releasing pin '0 of the locking cap .1). uring coupling the heads of the co-acting claw hooks E press the lever arms f inwards and thereby compress the s rings '5 At the same time forwards the respective lockin caps which then engage and lock the c aw books as described in our said earlier application. When now one of the claw hooks is again unlocked by operating'the hand 'uncou ling dee co-acting claw hook of t e adjacent wagon is automatically opened on the separation of the latter by the outward movement of the arm of thehitherto' closed the springs h o' the adjacent couplin s press coupling, said arm f ein now forced out- Wards by the spring '27. T is causes the arm f of lever f-f to force back the short arm I of lever ll' at the same time causing arm Z 'of this lever to move back the. releasing pin 0 thereby disen aging the inner portion of the locking cap I) om the tail e of the claw hook and thus causing the spring h, asexplained in our said former application, to throw the claw hook out of the operative position.

In order to enable the spring t to effect the backward movement of the releasingpin a such spring must be made strong enough to overcome the pressure of the spring h of the said locking cap I). 'The width of the arm f 'shoiild be such as to be readily acted upon by the claw hook, of the co-acting coupling even when the couplings are at different levels.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent'of the United States is 1. In a central buffer claw coupling such I coupled ve as herein referred to, the combination with a hollow coupling head, a claw hook having a tail, a pivoted locking cap for engaging said its spring on the se aration o the vehicles,

forces back the 100 g cap to release the other claw hook and throw it out of its ogerative position in the known manner, su

stantially as set forth.

2. In a central buifer claw coupling such as herein referred to, the combination with a hollow coupling head, a claw hook, a pivoted locking cap for engaging the tail of the latter and a spring whose extension forces said looking cap forwards, of a spring controlled pivoted two-armed lever whereof one arm is engaged and held pressed inwards to compress the spring by the co-acting coupled claw hook, and a second pivoted lever engaging the releasing pin of the locking cap aforesaid and operated by the other arm of the spring controlled lever, when the latter is moved forwards by its spring on the se aration of the wagons, to cause said second lever to draw backwards the releasing pin and thereby cause the locking cap to release the claw hook and throw the latter out of its locking position in the usual manner, substantially as described.

3. In a central bufier claw coupling such as herein referred to, t e combination with a coupling head, of a claw hook pivoted thereto, a spring controlled pivoted locking cap adapted under suitable conditions to engage the claw hook, a double armed lever f, f, adapted to operate the claw hook, a push rod '1', adapted to act upon one arm of sa1d lever, a sprin i encircling said push rod, and a second dou le armed lever Z, Z, one arm of which is designed to be en aged by one arm of the lever f, f and the ot her arm of which is designed to withdraw the locking cap from the claw hook, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our handsin the presence of two witnesses.

LUDWIG SCHEIB, SENIOR. LUDW'IG SCHEIB, JUNIOR.

Witnesses HEINREICB. SonoFFER, LEITGOLD ORNELL. 

